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Monday, June 20, 2011

What's in the name?

The story. Of course!

This quilt began little over two years ago when I had temporarily moved back to Seattle for a year.

I called it 'Goodwill Shirts Quilt'.

Because, that's what it was!

I had bought some shirts from the Goodwill store to make a quilt. As I started cutting up the shirts in larger chunks of fabrics, I decided to use up all the skinny and long strips into this quilt. It went fast.

At the moment my life was sort of like a driftwood, lacking a sense of belonging.

If you ever have moved after being in one place for a long time, you know what I am talking about.

This past week, I had the chance to go on a retreat with my new friends Kelly, Cheryl, Terry and Jane to Christine's house in Maryland. Together we cooked, laughed and sewed. Went on walks and of course worked on our projects.

Christine's husband took us on the boat ride in the evening. On the way back I saw a little piece of driftwood on the beach..

Remember this?

Time I spent with my mom back in 2007 is one of the most memorable time of my life. We were visiting Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island and were surrounded by driftwood.

At the retreat, I worked on my quilt and hand quilted away while sharing the stories of my early experiences in this country.

I think for the first time in past three and a half years I was as comfortable as I look in the picture with my mom.

I honestly feel as if my emotions have finally stopped drifting and my mind has found a 'home' on the beach (here) full of new possibilities.

My new friends have made me feel at home.

I will forever be grateful for that.

Now this quilt hangs over my fireplace in the family room.

It stands for lot more than curved piecing and hand quilting with Perle cotton thread..

It is the constant reminder of the good times I had with my friends but even more the fact that no matter how stormy life gets, there is always a peaceful outcome in the end.

New beginnings are tough but sometimes all one has to do is to keep afloat.

'Driftwood' is what I call this quilt.

For it's life which began somewhere else, had a wonderful younger years like a lush tree full of life and went through rough storms and survived, became sharper and smoother with every wave that hit.

41 comments:

Oh my...beautifully written! You brought tears to my eyes expressing how I too have felt. What a wonderful picture of you and your mom and a lovely poignant quilt you have created!!!!!! Thanks for sharing!

Oh! what a beautiful post. I loved seeing the photo of you and your mother again, it's a gift.Your quilt is lovely. It has such great movement. I of course, love the pink and red in the center :)I love quilts with deeper meanings, and this one has a great soul.xoxo

absolutely beautiful, Sujata. The quilt (love love love love it) and your words. I'm terrible at naming quilts - for some reason it's just not that important to me. It's the image of the quilt and the time making it that stays with me, not the name.

so wonderful. I love the depth of meaning you experience with your art! Thank you for sharing it with us. And I love the quilt- rooted in the traditional, beautifully modern, and deeply personal all at once.

I am so glad you've landed, with good friends on both coasts! Your driftwood analogy is quite fitting for the journey of feeling "in between," and then finally landing, more mature and beautiful in a new way. I remember when you showed this quilt to us in Seattle. It inspired me to make one similar, and I completely enjoyed the process. Thank you for sharing your talent and your story!!

The story and the quilt both are very heart warming. I'm so glad you met your new friends and had such a good time at the retreat! The way you interpret your feelings and transform them into breathtaking quilts is quite amazing! And that picture of you and your mom is so sweet!

Oh Sujata you always share so much of yourself in your posts - and in your quilts. New friends, old friends, they are both beautiful and make us who we are. Love the picture of you and your mom, it says so much - and it will be you and your daughter someday! Peace~

I am so touched and happy to read your words. It is wonderful to see you writing again. Your words reach out and touch so many of us. There are tears of joy in my eyes for you. You are so gifted, oh so talented, thank you for being you.

Sujata - You have enriched our group in so many ways. It's just amazing how a group of women with such differing quilting styles can come together as friends and at the same time, admire each other's work. BTW, I love the binding.I do name my quilts. Sometimes the name comes to me in a flash and sometimes it takes lots of brainstorming and sometimes, not at all.

You're right, there is always a story...thanks for sharing yours, and your beautiful quilt. I recently bought some thrift shop shirts for a quilt. Two of them were really lovely fabric (why are mens shirts always nicer than that they use for ladies?)so I rolled the sleeves up a little and tried them on...they look great (relaxed summer jacket!) with jeans & tee. Now only the boring ones are left for my quilt!

I don't know which is more lovely...the quilt, the people, or the story. I guess its kind of like the mind/body/spirit connection. Can't truly have one without the other. Beautiful in all ways, Sujata!

Sujata, Awe.....Ahhhhh. I sit in reverie after reading this post and thinking what a blessing you are in my life when we CONNECT! Thank you for sharing....definitely some vulnerability in these thoughts! Your quilt is as breathtaking as you! Love, LOVE, L O V E ! Em

Ahhhhh....I have goosebumps reading that! both the writing and the quilt are beautiful. I'm thinking the color is symbolic (possibly) as well. The red/pink as the warmth/love of family and FRIENDS as the center but the cold, grey parts of the world that can beat, bleach, drain us as we go thru storms of life, that can surround us each day. something profound like that, huh?

It seems that thereʻs a curious meandering on how a quilt gives birth to its name. For me, once the top is done, and Iʻm hand-quilting -- itʻs a very intimate time, whereby an assortment of connections arise for consideration. The activity is very contemplative, therefore the result, e.g. itʻs name, is also more contemplative than contrived.